Make Your Content SMO Happy

I first learned about SEO in my editing class at University of Florida. I didn’t pay attention. Not because I wasn’t interested, but more than likely I was either suffering a slight hangover from the previous night or was too enthralled with the daily sudoku in our student newspaper. Don’t judge me: I was a college student and that’s just what we did.

Granted, I probably should have paid a little more attention to that class, considering 6 years later, SEO is part of my chosen profession. Regardless, I never really stopped learning, and now, I like the actual learning part better. (Students, please don’t take this as another reason not to pay attention in class.) Whereas in college, learning was the primary objective but not always what I wanted to do, now, all I want to do is know what’s happening. Facebook and Twitter make that easy to do. I’m always scouring the Internet for anything new and noteworthy that’s going on in Web marketing. Recently, that buzz word has been SMO, social media optimization.

Social media has made everyone a reporter. People like to share, people like to be the first to share, and people like to know when others share what they shared. So as journalists, bloggers, creators of content, or whatever term you most identify yourself with, it should behoove you to make sure whatever content you are posting online, you make it easy for your users to share. Just take a look at this analytic reports from some top brands in this chart from Gigya.

Social networks aren’t just there for connecting; they’re quickly becoming the top traffic sources for your website. Getting people to share and spread your content has never looked more appealing. An easy way to do that is include those people, the exact people that you hope will read and share your content, in your content. More than being a part of breaking news, people love getting credited for what they did: People love getting noticed. And when they see they’re mentioned in something you produced, they’re more inclined to share it with their network. That’s viral marketing in its purest form. In an article on MediaShift, Roland Legrand hooked me onto Storify as an easy way to make that possible. This short video has a good overview of what it’s all about:

You do need an invite code to gain access to Storify, but you can request one on their website.

While Storify is likely a lifesaver when it comes to integrating social media into your content, it can’t be the only thing you rely on for SMO. Here’s a quick list of things you need to do to get the most of your, and others, social networks. You can also see a great explanation of how-to SMO over at Benjamin Gauthey’s website.

1. Write it: As with anything you do online, seriously incredible content should be your main objective. The better, more enticing content you provide, the more likely people will spread it as fast as lice in a kindergarten classroom.

2. Optimize it: If you know SEO, this will come as second nature to you whenever you write. Since the point of SMO is to increase your brand exposure and (ultimately) help your rankings, make sure your keywords are not only in your content and title but also are getting some social buzz.

3. Share it: If you don’t already have a “Like” and “Tweet” button on each of your blog posts, you fail as a blogger. Harsh? Yes. But if you want your stuff to spread, make sure you make it easy for your readers to share it.

4. Spread it: Don’t just rely on others to do the sharing. Leverage your Twitter and Facebook followers to initially put the word out there. Then, don’t forget to bookmark it on sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Delicious. Quora may also be worth looking to see if anyone out there is asking questions about the topic you’re covering.

What are your thoughts on social media optimization? Will they become the next search engines?

Erin Everhart is the marketing associate for the Orlando web design company 352 Media Group where she specializes in social media marketing, search engine optimization and content management, working with some of the company’s most prominent clients. She’s also a freelance reporter for multiple newspapers and online sites and a frequent blogger. She holds a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida and has an unhealthy addiction to salt, EM dashes and the Gators. Follow her on Twitter :: @erinever.

2 Comments

I agree with you on the fact that social media is taking over, but you can’t compare the information other parts of the web have to offer. I often read my “friends'” useless status update and think to myself: “why does everyone think that going to the loo is important to anyone other than you?”. On the other hand, there are things like social bookmarking. One of my favorites is stumble upon. I’ll try storyfy, but at the same time, don’t you already need to have a lot of followers/people reading your stats for it to work most efficiently?

About the Editor

Jeremy Porter has been passionate about the intersection of public relations and journalism since studying both Public Relations and Journalism at Utica College of Syracuse University in the late 90s.
Porter launched Journalistics in 2009 to share his ideas and insights around both professions and how trends and developments in modern day marketing, communications, and technology impact those working in these fields.
Porter also values the traditions and history of both professions and regularly shares his perspective in these areas - and related topics geared toward the next generation of journalism and public relations professionals.